


Hold me by the heart, help me fly again

by cyxnided



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, I Don't Even Know, Kevin gets to play cupid and he loves it, but here have my late night ramblings, my hand slipped
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-02-05
Packaged: 2018-09-20 15:30:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9498398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cyxnided/pseuds/cyxnided
Summary: Betty's parents go on a bonding retreat with Polly to repair their relationship and they want Betty to stay with a friend while they're gone. Kevin knows that Veronica's mom is back in New York for her husband's trial and he wants Betty to face her feelings for Veronica. He tries his hand at matchmaking, for better or for worst.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I watched Riverdale and fell for the queerbait, so here have my contribution to this stupid show and the wonderful girls that are making me come back next week to watch. I apologize in advance for any mistakes, I always write when I'm too tired to notice them.

“Why can’t I just stay with you, Kev?” Betty groaned, crossing her arms over her chest, her lips puffed out in a pout.

“Because I have several gentlemen callers and having a pretty girl in my house will completely ruin my image.” Kevin grinned up at her as he shot back a flirty text to Moose. The football player wasn’t who he thought he would be sexting a few months ago, but since when does Kevin turn down some positive male attention. Especially from one that was packing as much as Moose was. “Please just ask Veronica.”

“I already told you I’m not doing it.” 

“Just ask her, Betty.” Kevin huffed, staring up at his phone, his lips curling up as he saw Moose texting him back, the three gray dots blinking at him. “I seriously don't think she’ll mind.”

“You know why I can't ask her, Kevin.” Betty smacked her makeup brush down onto the counter of her vanity. She pushed her head into her hands, her hair going through her fingers. Her palms shoved into her eyelids, they went so hard she saw black spots and bright stars. She could still feel Veronica’s fucking touch on the sides of her face, the taste of her lipstick on her mouth and the thrilling sensation of knowing that the Veronica Lodge was kissing her. She always hoped to brag that Archie Andrews, the new star football player with the rock hard abs and sultry voice, would be her first kiss and then she swooped in from New York. 

She messed up the balance of everything. She threw off everything, Cheryl was off balance, Archie was thrown off track and fucking Betty didn't even know how to walk straight anymore (she told Kevin this and he snorted saying “Once you kiss the same sex, you can never walk straight again.”) And then Betty had to admit that she fell into that stupid joke. 

“Betty, you need to calm down.” Kevin tossed away his phone, Moose could only hold a conversation for so long before he sent a dick pic, not that Kevin really minded. He walked behind Betty, squeezing her shoulders, he leaned his head against hers and smiled at her reflection in the vanity. She finally looked up and Kevin could see Betty’s red rimmed eyelids. He hated seeing her feel so hopeless, like when her parents sent Polly away. 

They were never super close, but Betty loved Polly and watching her parents just toss her older sister aside was something hard to swallow. They still had a hard time accepting her battle with bulimia and depression, not to mention that she had been diagnosed ADHD at the beginning of the summer. They truly chose not to acknowledge any of Betty’s flaws and it unnerved her.

“The only way you're going to figure out what's going on with you is if you spend time with Veronica.”

“I don't want to spend time with Veronica, Kev.” She could feel her eyes growing watery, she was pretty much tired of crying, fake or not, it took too much out of her now. “I-I I just…” She had never had a problem with anybody that fell on the LGBT spectrum, Kevin was her best friend, she had met a wonderful person name Carter that considered themselves genderfluid and she had become good friends with a fellow literature intern, an out proud male to female transgender that went by the name of Eve. But the heavy feeling that grew in the pit of her stomach had sat there the minute she felt like that kiss was something different. 

It wasn’t just an innocent kiss shared between two women that was harmless and silly, it felt a lot greater than that and that terrified Betty. She didn’t want it to turn into something better or something more, she didn’t want to turn into her sister. She had too much riding on her future to risk something that would make her parents toss her away as well. She needed a good future because she couldn’t survive in Riverdale, sure she had a strange love for the city she had grown up in, but she wanted to live past it. She wanted to go places: Tokyo, Los Angeles, London, New York. 

New York.

Where Veronica came from. 

She wanted to go to New York with Veronica.

Dammit. She shook her head, trying to push away the flippant thought, she hated Veronica for invaded her mind, her safe space.

“Look Betty, I'm telling you this because nobody told me this when I felt like this. You like Veronica, which is completely okay. At least you have great taste, but now you need to figure what you're going to do with all of these feelings.” Kevin smiled gently, he got to be like some sort of LGBT mentor, which felt empowering. 

He could already see the inner turmoil that was stewing inside the blonde beauty, she was too smart for her own good and made up several worst case scenarios that most times wouldn’t ever see the light of day. That’s what Kevin was for, to bring Betty back up when her mind pulled her a little too far down. “I’ve met your mother and as nice as she tries to be around me, I know that she isn’t comfortable around me. I also know what heteronormativity feels like, so the immediate disgust you feel for yourself when you think about liking Veronica is normal. You’ve grown up in a household that isn’t accepting of even the smallest changes, this could possibly be one of the biggest of your life-”

“-I don’t even know if I’m gay, Kevin.” The word tasted like a strange taste of bile and rebellion in Betty’s mouth. 

“And I’m not saying you are Betty !” Kevin huffed with a small chuckle. “But you can’t lie to me and say you don’t feel something for Veronica. So you have to fall somewhere on the gaydar and I don’t want you to go through what I went through. Ever since Veronica kissed you, she is all you talk about. Archie isn’t even a thought anymore and that’s how it’s been for nearly two months! To be honest, I’m kind of tired of hearing her fucking name so much.” 

Betty slapped his arm playfully and Kevin only squeezed his arms around her tighter, she was too good and pure for this black and disgusting world, she deserved warm sunlight and butterfly kisses, so Kevin would do what he could to deliver that to her. 

“Your parents don’t want you in the house by yourself and I’m completely willing and able to cover for you. Tell them you’re staying with me and tell Veronica that you need a place to stay for a month or so.” He felt like a cupid in training, pushing the two together. He could tell something was different about Veronica from the minute “gay” had slipped out of her mouth when they first met. Sure, she had been using it to describe Kevin, but it sounded a little too comfortable on her lips. 

Then he started catching very subtle glances from the vibrant Latina, they were small and most times they were just soft smiles when Betty was rambling on about something unimportant. But then Veronica started getting bold, she would whip out compliments, piling them on top of Betty until the blonde was practically drowning.  
Kevin felt like the love gods had practically pushed this relationship into his lap when Betty came crashing into his room, shouting about how Veronica Lodge had kissed her at cheerleading tryouts and then stood up for her while fucking drop kicking Cheryl off her pedestal all in one fail swoop. This woman was on her way to becoming one of Kevin’s idols, not only had she the ability to throw subtle entertainment references into conversations, but she also didn’t take shit from Cheryl and she treated his best friend like she should be. 

What’s not to like about Veronica?

He squeezed her shoulder again, the touch made Betty lean against his knuckles, her soft cheek brushing against his joint. 

“Being around the person you're confused about is the only way you're going to know if this is something you want to pursue or forget. So call her and ask her if you can stay with her until your parents get back.” He grabbed her phone from her desk and slid it into her empty hand, patting her shoulder before flopping back onto Betty’s bed, just in time to see a new message from Moose pop up. 

He rolled his eyes at his broken English, but proceeded to their back a quick response as she noticed Betty hold the phone up to her ear before he heard “Hey, Veronica. It's me.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty struggles with some stuff. Kevin offers advice while getting something special. Jughead doesn't get girls and Cheryl is rude, but what's new?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys wanted it, so here you go, have another late night update for this train wreck story. I still don't know where I'm going with this, but come yell at me about it on my tumblr: @icyronnie . p.s. I don't know how long this is going to be and I don't know how often I'll update. I once again apologize for any mistakes, they're exclusively mine and I take full responsibility.

“Stop, stop, just stop!” Cheryl waved her hands before they found a place on her hips, she stared down her squad. “Where is your fire today, ladies?” 

Veronica stepped up to say something about how it got lost in Cheryl’s ego, but Betty put a hand on her wrist, tugging her back from starting something that wouldn’t end well. Betty still didn’t really understand how they managed a spot on the River Vixens, especially with how often Veronica talks back to Cheryl, most times on Betty’s behalf, not that Betty noticed or anything. 

“Find your fire by tomorrow, ladies. Our game against the Bucks isn’t going to be easy and our boys need all the encouragement they can get.” Cheryl dismissed them and Betty tugged Veronica away, the Latina’s teeth snapping at the bit to say something to Cheryl. 

“I’m going to light her hair on fire if she tells us to find our fire again.” Veronica grumbled as she allowed Betty to tug her to their athletic bags. Betty gave her a small smile at the morbid tease, they tugged on their sweatpants and jackets to brave against the Riverdale cold. “I’ll see you tonight,” They stood up, their bags slung over their shoulders. “Smithers and I will be by around 7.” 

Veronica went up on the tips of her toes, a hand on Betty’s shoulders, placing a chaste kiss to her cheek. Betty went rigid while Veronica just smiled and walked away, a little skip in her step. 

Betty gingerly let her fingers trace the ghost of Veronica’s lips, she stared off into the distance, her thoughts consumer by what perfume Veronica wore and the lipstick brand that she frequented when Jughead walked up next to her, his camera on his neck and his signature frown on his lips. 

“I thought you had a thing for Archie.” Jughead made Betty jump, the sound of his voice rocking her from her intense stare and corrupted thoughts. 

“What?” She turned to the black haired boy, he always seemed to show up when Betty was on the verge of being flustered or embarrassed. 

“You both went to the dance together, right?”

“Well yeah, but why’d you say that you thought we had a thing?”

“Veronica’s taking you somewhere and you actually stared at her like she hung the fucking moon.”

“So?” Betty wrung her fingers together, the one thing Kevin said was that if she didn’t want anyone to know than she needed to be subtle. Apparently the one thing that Betty Cooper couldn’t do is be subtle around Veronica, great because this is what she needed. 

Jughead huffed, rolling his eyes. “Girls are so fucking confusing.” He walked away, his hands around his camera and muttering something about how a burger wouldn’t confuse the shit out of him. Betty didn’t really understand how Jughead thought, but then again he was kind of a loner for a reason. 

“You’d think for someone like you, you’d hide all of that a lot better.”

Betty turned, her shoulders raised slightly at the voice of her captain. Cheryl Blossom stared down at her, lips pursed, hands planted on her lips and her eyebrows arched, she looked like she had just found her prey and she was ready to go for the kill. “Someone like me?”

“Well yeah,” Cheryl played with the ends of her redhair, her head tilted slightly as her eyelashes batted playfully. Her sickly sweet voice filtered into Betty’s ears, the tone in her voice tried to mask the words that she threw at the blonde. “Someone that has a lot to lose, I mean, with your family and all, I don’t think your parents can handle another failed kid. Well I guess this is the perfect time for you two to start the honeymoon stage with your parents gone with Polly and Veronica’s mom back in New York. Lesbians really do move in after the first date.”

She left with a wink and happily walked away, leaving Betty to stew over the words of the people around her. So far, she didn’t really like what she was hearing.

//

“Isn’t she supposed to be coming over soon?” Kevin’s mumbled voice spoke over the phone, she could hear him let out a grunt every once in awhile, but Betty was too focused on everything in her own head to really decipher what could be the cause of Kevin’s incoherent noises. 

“Yes, which why I’m calling you. I really didn’t think this through.” She had been pacing around her room since she got home from cheerleading practice, her bag was already packed, but she had been staring it down, debating whether or not she should unpack it. 

“What do you mean, Betts?” Kevin let out another grunt. “No, Moose… just wait and…”

“Kevin! Focus please!” Betty was having a level 2 minor panic attack and she needed her best friend (and possibly gay guide) to help her navigate all of this fucking confusion. “How the hell am I supposed to make it in a house with Veronica for a month? Alone, I might add, thanks for that.”

“Everyone needs a little kick, Betty. I just happened to do it for you.” She could hear Kevin’s smirk through the phone. “Moose, watch the teeth, please.”

“Kevin, I really can’t do this.”

“Betty, stop. Breathe.” She stopped moving, shut her eyes and let in a deep breath.“Stop overthinking about all of this. I know girls like Veronica and she kissed you for some reason, so just go with it.”

It seemed like Kevin just had some special sort of radar because her doorbell rang just as the words slipped from his mouth. 

He could hear it through the phone and whispered a few last words of encouragement as Betty hung up. She grabbed her overnight bag, her backpack and athletic bag, slung them over her shoulder, took in another deep breath before ascending down the stairs. Her hand shook slightly as she pulled back the doorknob, revealing the ever alluring Veronica Lodge, her hair perfectly put together as a set of pearls sat on her next and a black bodycon dress hugged her skin tightly. 

Betty couldn’t understand how she could look so regal and elegant just two hours after Cheryl’s hellish practice. Betty looked down at herself, a pair of jeans and a sweater covering her body. She felt homeless compared to Veronica.

“Hey smokeshow, ready to get out of here?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Betty grinned, she only now noticed that a little man in a suit with white hair was standing just behind Veronica, how long had he been standing there? Had she really been staring at Veronica for so long that she didn’t even notice another person? Jesus, fuck.

Veronica gently tugged the bags off of Betty just as the little man (Betty assumed that was Smithers) walked up, his hands open. Betty felt weird just passing it off to him, but Veronica didn’t even give it a second thought as she slipped a hand into Betty’s and pulled her into the black town car. 

“Does he need help?” Betty looked through the back window of the car as Smithers loaded everything into the trunk. 

“No, he’s proud. If you help him, he feels like he doesn’t deserve his job and gets all moody.” Veronica shrugged, she crossed her legs and grabbed Betty’s hand, she held it in her lap, mindlessly playing with Betty’s individual fingers. It probably didn’t mean anything to Veronica, just something to keep her idle hands busy while they waited for Smithers. 

Betty just kept telling herself to keep it subtle and just stay calm. 

But Veronica really wasn’t making that easy on her. She was talking about some school work or something, Betty was really trying to focus on what she was saying, but then Veronica would laugh or touch her hand and all of the focus and willpower Betty had been building up would just disappear. 

Smithers slipped into the car, starting up the engine and pulling away from the Cooper residence and on the way to the Lodge loft. 

“I-I-I didn’t know your mom was out of town.”

“Yeah, they subpoenaed her for the trial and she flew out to New York a few days ago.” Veronica sounded distant now, Betty noticed that she always seemed to sound like that when talked about her parents or about New York. 

“So your loft is empty too and we’ll be alone?”

“Yes,” Veronica looked at her, a cautious look in her eyes. “Is that going to be a problem?”

“N-no no!” Betty waved her hands nervously in front of her, she could feel her cheeks flare up in a bright red. “I-I was just- curiosity and everything.”

Veronica hummed happily, she looked back toward the front of the car, a bemused smirk on her face while Betty stared down at her hands, trying to make her cheeks go back to their normal color. As much as she hated being flustered, she happened to do it a lot and it was really irritating. “I’m sure.” She looked at her window and smiled. “Well may I say, welcome to humble abode.”

The car lurched forward as Smithers put it into park and hurried out his side of the door so he could open Veronica’s side. The Latina bowed her head and thanked Smithers as she turned and looked to Betty, her hand outstretched. Betty felt like she was going to implode by Veronica's genuine kindness. 

“You comin, Betty?” 

Betty nodded quickly and reached out, grabbing Veronica’s fingertips and letting her pull her out of the car. Her whole body buzzed as she felt their hands interlock, their fingertips happily touching and intertwined as Veronica led her into the hotel, talking about the layout of their loft and many amenities that came with their new home. 

Betty was already so wrapped up in Veronica, how the actual fuck was she supposed to live alone with her for an entire month?

She was going to kill Kevin if Veronica didn’t kill her first.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty sees Veronica's room. They talk about books. Veronica dances and Betty tries hiding the gay. Veronica just wants to dance with Betty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with a super gay chapter! So I more or less know where I'm taking this story and fair warning, it will get kind of angsty because I enjoy pain. Come yell at me about it on my tumblr: @cyxnided. All mistakes are mine and I own them proudly.

Veronica didn't waste any time to give her the grand tour of her apartment, she swept through each room like a real estate agent, giving Betty a brief summary of each room. 

“And this is my room.” Veronica through open the door and Betty was pleasantly surprised by the room. It wasn't as bold as Veronica was, it was a subtle with shades of washed out grey covering the walls. A long black mirror hung on the far wall while a queen sized bed was pushed against the connecting wall, it was covered with sheets that looked softer than silk and pillows that could double as clouds. 

She had a floor to ceiling bookshelf, stuffed to the brim with an eclectic collection of books, pictures and records to name a few. Betty walked inside, immediately going to the bookshelf, her fingers finding the worn spines of small paperbacks, she could make out some of the titles through the crinkled covers. “I never pinned you for a Stephen King kind of girl.” Betty noted as she pulled back ‘Pet Cemetery’, ‘It’ and ‘Misery’.

“You'd be surprised what I take interest in.” Veronica replied with a wry smile, she sat on her bed, sinking into the mattress. 

Betty noticed ‘In Cold Blood’ and ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ sitting on the shelves. She wondered if Veronica had a particular method of sorting because there seemed to be no pattern that Betty could see. 

She let out a snort when she pulled ‘Twilight’ off her shelf. “And here I thought you were too refined to read such a trashy vampire romance novel.”

Veronica faked an offended gasp, her hand going to her chest, right over her heart. “How dare you, Betty Cooper. Twilight is a literary treasure.” She got to her feet and swiped the book away from the blonde, tucking it back into its place. 

“Any other trashy romance novels I should know about, Ronnie?” Betty raised an amused brow. She couldn't see Veronica’s smile at the nickname while the girl pulled off a book and threw it onto Betty’s lap. The blonde made a noise of disbelief as she picked up the book. “The Fault in Our Stars is far from the category of trashy romance novels.”

“It totally falls into that category. A tragic love story that's destined to fail from the start?” Veronica challenged. “Replace the cancer with vampirism and it's practically Twilight with more comedic timing.”

“That is a gross assessment of one of the most well rounded YA romance novels of his decade.”

“And that is an over qualified exaggeration for nothing more than a modern day retelling of Romeo and Juliet.” 

Betty narrowed her eyes at Veronica, who simply smiled back. The blonde looked back at the bed, she ran her fingers along the comforter, tracing the linings of the intricate stitching. She wondered which side of the bed she’d be sleeping on, she usually always slept on the side closest to the door. “Which side of the bed do you sleep on?”

The dark headed girl tilted her head, her eyebrows furrowed together and lips slightly pursed. “The left. Why do you ask?”

Betty gave a small smile, the side closest was the door was the right, so she wouldn’t have to change her position or anything. “I just wanted to know what side I’d be sleeping on.”

Veronica held in a laugh, but a strangled noise escaped her lips. “You’re not sleeping in my room, Betts.”

Betty went a bright red, she looked worse than a tomato, if tomato’s could bleed, Betty’s face would be the shade of tomato’s blood. She was such a fucking idiot, why would she assume she would sleep in Veronica’s bed? She’s a Lodge, this apartment probably has four other guest rooms, even if they never got visitors. “Oh-I-I didn’t mean to- I just thought- I-uh-I-”

“Don’t have a coronary, Betty.” Veronica laughed off Betty’s nerves, waving away the awkward confusion like it just fell off her back. “If you were only staying the night, then I wouldn’t care, but you’re going to be here for a month or so, so it’s only right that you get a room.”

“I-I don’t need a room!” She shouted it, she didn’t mean to, but she got flustered and her brain had to be rebooted and it seemed to be installing some updates because it was taking a damn long time for her to stop acting like an idiot. “I mean- I just- I can sleep on the couch or something.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Veronica rolled her eyes as she walked out of her room, Betty scrambled to her feet, following her friend. “We have two guest rooms in the apartment, both are relatively empty, but my mom keeps one closed off.” Veronica nodded toward the oak door that was closed shut before walking to the room directly across from Veronica’s room. “This is your room while you’re here.”

It had the same basic layout of Veronica’s room, but the furniture was much more basic and a slick black and white. Betty’s feet pattered over the hardwood floor as she saw that Smithers had already put her bags on the bed, ready for the blonde to unpack when she was ready. 

“You can decorate it any way you like while you’re here. I want you to feel at home.” Veronica rested her head on the door frame as Betty unzipped her overnight bag, a picture of her family shining back at her. She always hated this picture, but it was the only one that Betty owned where all of her family members were present and looked relatively happy. “I’ll have Smithers get some menus for us and come find me in the kitchen when you’re done.”

Veronica shut the door behind her, giving Betty time to get her room sorted out. She set the picture on the nightstand at the head of her bed, in front of the Victorian-era looking lamp. She hoped that this ridiculous retreat was actually working, she wanted Polly to come home and not let Jason ruin her. 

She tucked away the clothes that she had, it wasn’t much, but she could always go back home if she really needed more. But since tomorrow was game night and cheerleaders were required to wear their uniforms throughout the school day, she was more focused on how to make small talk with Veronica because she was going to be having fucking dinner with her in less than 10 minutes.

They could talk about books again or maybe music, Betty saw some of the vinyls sitting on Veronica’s shelf, or maybe they could talk about school and cheerleading. 

Betty sighed and bowed her head, she reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose. 

Don't get so worked up. Just be cool. Talk to her like you did before, just be Betty. 

That seemed to be enough of a pep talk for the blonde because she was walking out her bedroom door, determination and bravery in every step. She was going to conquer whatever the hell this was and she was going to get her feelings for Veronica out of the way before it messed up their friendship. 

Well she was determined to do all that…

… Until she saw Veronica bouncing around the kitchen, music blasting in the small room with nothing but a long t shirt and some very small shorts. 

Betty stopped dead in her tracks, she stared wide eyed and swallowed hard, she felt disgusting, ogling Veronica’s sinfully tanned and muscular legs or the way her hips moved and dipped at the beats in the music. 

Most times when they were cheering, Veronica was either behind her or too far away from Betty to see her and Betty now realizes what a blessing in disguise that was because if she saw Veronica dance in front of her, she would mess up every routine. 

Veronica turned and saw Betty and squeaked as she grabbed her wrists and tugged her into the kitchen. Betty faintly recognized the song, it was by Tame Impala, one of Ronnie’s favorites and she mouthed every word as she danced around Betty. 

For most of it, the blonde just stood there awkwardly, gawking and staring at Veronica as she performed various club-like moves. Betty did move when Veronica grinded on her and the raven haired girl saw that as invitation, so she grabbed Betty’s hands, snaking them up and down the sides of her body until stopping them at her hip bones. She bent over at the waist, sending Betty’s face into blushing overload, and came back up, her fingers lacing in one of Betty’s. 

She twirled outwards, fingers still joined with Betty’s before spinning back in, wrapping the blonde’s arm around her body and this time Betty responded the right way. 

The song had changed to a slower ballad by some band she hadn't heard of and she spun Veronica, hand raised above their heads and then brought the girl back in for a slow dance, a hand precariously placed on Veronica’s waist while she held the other one up. 

Veronica let out a loose laugh and put one around Betty’s shoulder, they exchanged weird faces as the strange tension began building around them. 

This felt all too much like the back to school formal when Betty was dancing with Archie, but thinking about Veronica. She had tried to convince herself that she was supposed to dance with Archie, both Kevin and Veronica were rooting her on from a few feet away, but when Betty looked over at them for encouragement, she just wanted to push Kevin aside and take his place. 

It was nice, they were quiet, the silence was suffocating or awkward, it was welcomed and Betty continued leading the girls around the kitchen, Veronica had relinquished that power over to the blonde during the dance. 

Somewhere during their impromptu slow dance, Veronica had let her head fall on Betty’s collarbone, her gentle breath blowing hot air onto Betty’s neck every so often and the cheerleader shut her eyes, allowing herself to enjoy dancing with Veronica because God knows she wouldn’t have had the guts to do it herself at the formal, not with everyone watching. 

So she allowed herself this small taste of happiness and melted under Veronica’s adventurous touch, her hand now rested on Betty’s chest and her finger tips played with a strand of her perfectly curled hair. 

Veronica broke the silence first.   
“Have you ever danced with a girl before, Betty?”

“Besides my sister?”

“Yes, besides your sister.”

“... No. My mom thinks that would look bad on the family.”

“Your mom worries too much about reputation.”

“Like yours didn’t?” Betty scoffed. She had met Hermione Lodge once, in passing, and just from one conversation she had shared with the woman, she was definitely ‘new money’ that was trying to pass for ‘old money’, but not only that she was ‘city money’. They spend their money going to clubs, buying the newest designer or filling their Soho apartments with pointless paintings, but Riverdale is ‘small town money’, people here donate to charities or schools, put money together for town parties and occasionally to silence a chatty worker if they knew something. 

“Mom never thought about that stuff, Dad did. Mom always focused on me and wanted me to have the best life a kid could have in New York, so she spent all of her time and money making sure I was happy. She did a lot of stuff that Dad wasn’t all that happy about, he always had to make sure he represented sometime people could put their trust in.” 

Betty bit her tongue when a snarky remark dared to slip out, her mother had practically ingrained insults into her subconscious by how much she badmouthed the people in this town. It surprised Betty each time when she managed to keep her mouth shut an bite back another degrading comment. 

“Then all of that stuff happened to my dad and he forced mom to take me here, he didn’t want all of that negative attention to be focused on me. That’s when my mom started worrying about reputation when she realized how much it could hurt me.” 

They had stopped dancing now, they were just standing in the middle of the kitchen, Betty’s hand had slipped around to the small of Veronica’s back while Veronica had rested her own hand on Betty’s chest and laid her head on her shoulder. They were practically hugging each other in a strange way. They were quiet for a few heartbeats (Veronica counted 37 before either one of them spoke again) and then Veronica said something. 

“Why didn’t you dance with me at the formal, Betty?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of cliffhanger, kind of not. Who knew that Veronica felt so strongly about Twilight?


End file.
